Why halal meat generates so much controversy in Europe

LES LILAS, France — There could scarcely be a spectacle more French than elderly matrons and young fathers vying for choice cuts of veal on a weekend morning. But the popularity of Les Jumeaux, an artisanal butcher shop in this Paris suburb, is something of a feat.

All the meat here — from the bison to the boudin blanc to the Wagyu beef — is halal. And the 28-year-old twin brothers who run the shop have managed to attract a diverse clientele and critical acclaim at a moment when there is intense resistance to halal meat in Western Europe.

A regional government in Austria recently proposed that people buying halal or kosher meat should have to register with authorities. There have been periodic “scares” in Britain over customers being sold unlabeled halal meat. Until a constitutional court overturned it, Poland imposed a ban on halal and kosher slaughter. The party platform of the far-right Alternative for Germany includes a similar provision.

As Muslims we want Halal meat, meaning God’s name was said at the time of slaughter, but we also insist on high quality and healthy meat and also would be the first to stand for animal rights, for humane slaughtering practicing, as Islam is a religion of compassion.